Our new vision may appear lofty: to unite New York law enforcement, victims, prison
families, restorative justice and mental health advocates around “common ground” policies and programs to reduce violence. But over the past year, NYADP has been bringing together a broad array of new partners. Local meetings in Schenectady, Albany, New York City, the Mid Hudson and Rochester have generated enthusiasm and energy for our new  mission, setting in place the keystones for a new paradigm of positive responses to violence. Here’s one example:
 
With the help of Mark Klemens, Executive Director of Partners In Restorative Initiatives, and NYADP Board Member Suzanne Schnittman, NYADP gathered over twenty leaders in Rochester. There was strong representation from all areas, as part of our mission is to ensure that voices are not marginalized. From law enforcement, among others, were the District Attorney, the Deputy Probation Administrator. From mental health, the Monroe County Office on Mental Health’s Supervising Clinical Consultant and Strong Memorial Hospital’s Adolescent/Child Psychiatrist. From Victims and their families, the founding member of the Victims’ Intervention Coalition. From Restorative Justice and advocates of the formerly incarcerated, The President and Executive Director of Partners in Restorative Initiatives and the Director of Pathways to Peace. Additionally, educators and researchers interested in crime reduction were on hand, including the chair of criminal justice at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
 
With the facilitation of Colleen Eren and Marie Verzulli of NYADP, the group began the process to unite around mutual concerns, such as the lack of centralized information about organizations that work towards violence reduction, and the inability of Albany legislators to know what truly works and what does not work in a community.   NYADP builds on these initial discussions to devise a plan towards reaching the agreed-upon goals. The foundations have been laid, and we know that with our allies, we will succeed.